Winter Internship Program

The Winter Accounting Internship Program at The Ohio State University provides an accounting major with the opportunity to obtain a full-time internship experience during the winter (winter/spring under semesters) of each academic year. The internship is a salaried position with an employer that actively recruits our accounting students. In existence for over seventy-five years, Ohio State's Accounting Internship Program is well established and nationally respected. In addition to the public-accounting firms that traditionally participate in our program, several other organizations also conduct campus interviews for accounting interns. Between seventy and eighty percent of the students who interview receive offers for intern positions. If you meet the program's eligibility requirements, we encourage you to participate in it.

Timing of Winter Internship Program

The majority of employers will be posting accounting positions on FisherConnect over the summer, which will be viewable to students at the very beginning of the Autumn 2013 semester. FisherConnect is the system used by the Fisher College of Business Office of Career Management for posting career opportunities. Posted positions will include winter 2014 internships, summer 2014 internships, and full-time opportunities (with start dates in 2014).

Please note that winter intern candidates will typically complete the internship during the spring semester of their junior year. Therefore, students seeking a winter 2014 internship will need to sign-up on FisherConnect at the beginning of the Autumn 2013 semester. Interviews will be conducted on campus during September and October 2013 (dates will vary by employer).

Be aware that job postings on FisherConnect will have resume submission deadlines. Again, these will vary by employer so it is very important for students to carefully review the postings and ensure that they are applying before the system deadlines.

It is important to note that some employers may also be posting accounting opportunities throughout the year. Students may want to regularly monitor FisherConnect job postings to ensure they are aware of all possible career opportunities.

Duration of Winter/Spring Internships

The duration of a winter internship will vary by employer. Generally speaking an internship will range from 10 to 15 weeks. Many students may be seeking a full semester internship. However, accepting an internship with an employer who offers a shorter internship can be very beneficial as well. Many companies/firms offer permanent positions to their interns. It is often worth the investment of taking a semester off from school knowing the internship could potentially lead to a full-time job offer. Students should ask appropriate questions of potential employers to understand the duration of the internships being offered.

Benefits of Completing a Winter Intership

Professional Development

Internships are important professional development opportunities. They offer a chance to apply some of what you learned in the classroom to real world problems, to expand your understanding of accounting issues in the workplace and to learn new skills.

Type of Work

Interning in the winter can have significant financial rewards. Winter interns are generally much busier than summer interns and can earn time and a half for overtime. (Please note that overtime laws vary by state.) Considering the very competitive hourly rates of pay offered by most employers, coupled with time and a half for overtime, you can earn a substantial amount of money during the internship.

Possible Conversion to Full-time Positions

As indicated above, many firms offer full-time positions to their interns.

Winter Intern Qualifications

Each employer sets the minimum qualifications for their internship opportunities. There are, however, a few general guidelines for the ideal winter intern candidate. In addition to strong academic performance, the ideal winter 2014 intern candidate will graduate between May 2015 and December 2015. Some employers will also be considering December 2014 graduates. It is important to review the specific qualifications posted by each employer. Students graduating in May 2014 or August 2014 will be considered full-time candidates.

It is up to each employer to set the minimum qualifications for their job posting on FisherConnect. The majority of employers will require more than a 3.0 overall GPA. Academic performance continues to be a high priority for employers.

How to Catch Up on Classes as a Winter Intern

Students who complete a winter internship will be able to complete many classes over the summer. Basically coursework from the spring semester can be pushed back to the summer allowing students to obtain valuable internship experience and stay on track with anticipated graduation dates. Also, students who are interested in a winter internship can "accelerate" their classwork by taking summer classes.

As an example, the following classes have been scheduled for summer of 2013:

AMIS 3200 - Financial Accounting I

AMIS 3201 - Financial Accounting II

AMIS 3300 - Cost Accounting

AMIS 3400 - Tax Accounting I

AMIS 3600 - Introduction to Accounting Information Systems

AMIS 4200 - Advanced Accounting

AMIS 4310 - Topics in Management Accounting (Elective)

AMIS 4500 - Auditing Principles and Procedures

Is the Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate (QUIC) Program necessary?

The Office of Career Management developed the Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate program (QUIC) to help Fisher candidates excel in interviews. Before students can participate in on-campus interviews, they MUST be QUIC certified. Successfully completing the QUIC program provides undergraduate students with complete access to on-campus interview opportunities organized through FisherConnect.

Students can begin to sign up for QUIC certification on Monday, February 25th, 2013. Also, special dates for QUIC certification of accounting majors will be on April 2nd and 3rd of this year. You can reserve a space on these dates through FisherConnect (use On-Campus Interview with Schedules, Accounting QUIC Blitz, Schedule # 4405 for this reservation).

Students should complete the QUIC process before the Autumn 2013 semester, and ideally by May 1, 2013.

Are International Students Elegible for the Winter Internship Program?

International students will be impacted by their visa status. While some employers are able to hire international students, there are restrictions which will not permit F-1 visa holders to complete a winter/spring internship. Students with an F-1 visa are only allowed one vacation semester per year and that vacation semester must be in the summer term.

Students should understand the restrictions their visa status may have before signing up for opportunities on FisherConnect.

You may want to attend the "Meet the Firms Night", scheduled for September 9th, 2013, in the Ohio Union. Last year, this event hosted 33 employers, and over 340 students participated in the event.